The Quest For The Greatest Titan: Johnson vs. Griffin

Yesterday's matchup was not a very close one, in our last 2-7 matchup. Today, we will look at our last 1-8 matchup, where two former teammates with similar career trajectories:

(1) Chris Johnson: Make no mistake about it, Chris Johnson was an absolute stud as a Titan. Since his departure is still somewhat fresh, there is still a little bit of bitterness from a portion of the fanbase towards him, due to his last couple seasons in Nashville. However, as a whole, Chris Johnson's Titans career certainly deserves a 1 seed. Right when he joined the team in 2008, he took the running game to a whole new level, being the main component in the "Smash and Dash" offense. This running game took the Titans to a 1 seed in the playoffs and the best record in the NFL for the regular season. In 2009, he had one of the best rushing seasons that this league has ever seen, running for 2006 yards. He was a bogus penalty on Ahmard Hall away from the all time rushing record. That season, it seemed as if every single game you could 100% bank on "CJ" breaking off a long touchdown run. After an 0-6 start to the season, Johnson put the team on his back, and thanks to his amazing performances week after week, the team finished 8-8. His 2010 season is not talked about much, but he followed up a 2000 yard season with 1300 yards and 11 touchdowns. Overall, he never had less than 1000 yards in his entire career as a Titan. He was one of few national superstars that have been a part of this franchise.

(8) Michael Griffin: This is another player who recently left the team, so there will be some fresh fan emotion in terms of views on him. Griffin was a defensive playmaker at the beginning of his career. When he was strictly a single-high safety, he was a ballhawk. His best season was easily 2008, when he had 7 interceptions and made the pro bowl. That year, Griffin was up there with Reed and Polamalu. Unfortunately, he was not able to sustain it due to injuries. However, due to playing through a number of those injuries, despite being a part of many bad teams in his time as a Titan, he earned some appreciation among the fanbase.

My vote: Both of these guys had up and down careers, but the ups for Chris Johnson were much higher. He nearly singlehandedly won many games for this team. He does not get the appreciation that he deserves among Titans fans.

Updated Bracket: